Recoil-operated firearm.



No. 634,9l3. Patented ct. I7, |899.

G. RUTH &. K. KRNKA.

REGOIL DPERATED FIREARI.'

(Application med my 12, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet l.

No. 634,9l3.

Patented Dot. I7, |899.`

G. RUTH & K. KRNKA.

BECOIL OPERATED FIREARM.

(Application Bled May 12, 1899.) '(NU MMSI.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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lineman Frames GEORG ROTH AND KARL KRNKA, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

RECOlL-OPERATED FIREARIVI.

sPEcIrcATroN forming part ef Lettere Patent No. 634,913, dated oetebeln 1r, 1899.

Application led May 12, 1899. Serial. N0. 716,578. (Eo model.)

[0 a/ZZ wiz/0712, t may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORG ROTH and KARL KRNKA, subjects of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary,residing at Vienna, Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented new and usefnllmprovements in Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to that class of automatic iirearms in which a sliding barrel is provided and coperates to utilize the recoil for ejecting the cartridge-case and reloading the weapon.

The invention may be employed in connection with pistols, rifles, and guns, while the breech-closing device may also be employed in combination with mitrailleuses.

The invention consists of the details of construction hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In order to render the present specification more easily intelligible, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a pistol, showing the breech closed and the firing-pin in its forward position after the shot has been ired. Figs. 2, 3, and et are similar vertical sections through the breech, showing the breech-block in three different positions, as hereinafter particularly described. Fi'g. 5 is a detail view showing the ejection of the cartridge-case. Fig. (5 is a horizontal longitudinal section on the line x x of Fig. 1, showing means for retaining the breech-block in its rearward position, if necessary. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the li'ne y y of Fig. 1, showing means for operating the breech-block by hand. Fig. 8 is a similar section showing a modified form of the device illustrated in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 shows a cross-section through the stock, taken at a point above the magazine-holder and showinga modified form of cartridge-ejector. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section through a rifle, showing the breech closed and the firing-pin after release; and Fig. l1 is a detail view showing the means for locking the cover of the magazine in position.

The first part of the present invention relates to the peculiarconstruction of the means l for coupling the breech-block and barrel,

which is effected in such manner that the breech-block will not be uncoupled from the barrel until the backward movement of both, due to the recoil, has taken place and While the barrel is performing its forward movement. This arrangement effeotually prevents the gases of combustion from firing out at the rear when the breech is opened.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 and to Fig. 7, the cover or housing 1, containing and supporting the barrel 1l and the breech-block 13, is attached to the stock or handle et of the weapon by means of the hook 2 at the front and fits into a groove 8 at the back or butt end 5, gripping over the said butt by means of a hook The front boring of the said housing is large enough to receive the barrel 11 and the recoilspring 12, the said barrel being provided with an enlarged rear end 11, which V[its into and is capable of sliding in the enlarged rear boring of the said housing. The boring of the barrel ll is enlarged, Fig. 3, at the rear end to receive the front end of the breech-block 13, and it is provided with an annular groove SO, havinga cam-like entrance-groove 3l, into which lugs 17- at the front end of the breechblock pass and lock when the said breechblock is turned, as hereinafter set forth. The lugs 17, two of which are employed symmetrically arranged, are also provided with camsurfaces 32, Fig. 4, which engage the camgrooves 31 of the barrel and effect a partial turn of the breech-block as the end of the saine enters or leaves the end of the barrel. The rear barrel end is provided with keys 14, Fig. 7, which slide in grooves 16 of the rear housing-boring,and the firing-pin 9 is also provided with a collar having lugs 15, which also engage the said grooves 16, so that both these paris are not .revoluble, but are only free to slide in the housing l. The internal rear end of the butt is provided with an inwardly-projecting guide-pin 6 to support the breechblock spring 7, said spring being supported at one end against the inside of the butt and at the other end in the hollow firing-pin 9. This spring 7 not only operates the breechblock when it has been uncoupled from the barrel, but also serves to operate the firingpin when the weapon is discharged.

The breech-block 13 is of cylindrical con- IOC) .arranged are two horizontally-extending grooves 27, the said grooves leading into the annular groove 25 by means of spirally-wound grooves 26, and within these grooves two lugs 10, fast on the firing-pin, lie. It should be mentioned that the annular groove 2S is merely formed for the sake of convenience in cutting the longitudinal grooves 27 and the spiral endings to the same and plays no prominent partin the operation of the breech-block. Short inlet-grooves 29 are provided in the ends of the block 13 to allow of the insertion of the lugs lO of the ring-pin when the parts are fitted together. From the above description it will be seen that when the block 13 slides on the exterior of the firing-pin the moment the lugs 10 engage the spiral parts of the grooves 26 27 the said block will be turned axially, according to the direction of movement of the same along the firing-pin.

The pivotally-mounted trigger 18 is springpressed by means of a-spring 33 acting on a pivotally-supported double-arm lever 21, which engages the sear 22 in the following manner: The rear end of the lever 21, which is also acted on by the spring 33, Fig. 1, fits as a Vsort of ball-and-socket joint into the front e'ud 23 of the pivotally-supported sear 22. The latter is made in two parts, both supported on a common pivot 22h', the front part 23 having a spring-housing at its rear end, inclosing a spring 34, Figs. 1 and 2, which normally depresses a tail 22 of the rear part 22. As will be seen from Fig. 1, this arrangement enables a lug 24 on the firing-pin collar to pass over the end of the sear on the rearward recoil of the breech-block; but as the trigger is retained a moment by the finger after the recoil the sear will be kept in such a position that the spring 34, Fig. 2, will force the rear end of the sear up under the lug 2, immediately the same has passed over the said sear end and prevent the pin from again going forward with the barrel under the inuence of the recoil-spring 12. Since the recoil takes place instantaneously, immediately the weapon has been discharged, the trigger cannot possibly be released before the lng of the iiring-pin has got behind the end of the sear 22, the time being altogether too short.

The operation of the parts described takes place in the following manner; Previous to discharging the weapon the parts are in the position shown at Fig. 4 2'. e., the lugs 17 are locked in the annular groove 30 of the barrel end, and the lugs'lO of the firing-pin are at the rear end of the horizontal part 27 of the groove 26 27, the firing-pin being retained by the catch of the lever 21. As soon as the trigger is pulled the lever 21 is tipped on its pivot and the firing-pin released, the movement of the said lever 21 lowering the front end 23 of the sear 22 and raising the rear' end 22 of the same into position to spring back into the path of the firing-pin lug 24 as soon as the latter has passed it at the recoil. On pulling the trigger the firing-pin is free to move fo r' Wardly because the lugs of the same were initially in the rear end of the horizontal part 27 of the inner breech-block grooves. As the recoil takes place the sear end 22 yields by means of its spring until the lug 24 has passed it,when it springs back and retains the firingpin in its extreme rearward position, close to the back end of the butt at 5, as will be clear from Fig. 3. The barrel, however, immediately commences to move forward under the influence of the recoil-spring 12 and pulls the breech-block with it as long as the lugs 10 of the firing-pin move in the hori= zontal part of the grooves 26 27. As soon as the said grooves have been moved along the lug-t'. e., as soon as the breech-block has been slid along the firing-pin far enough to bring the said lugs 10 into the spiral parts 26 ofthe grooves-the breech-block will be partially turned, which movement brings the lugs 10 into'the annular groove 25, but here the rotary movement of the block would cease as the lugs leave the spiral groove were it not for the fact that at this moment the block being detained and the barrel continuing its forward movement causes the cam-surfaces 32 of the forward block-lugs 17 to cooperate with the cam part of the groove 30 at 31, (the block having been turned far enough to bring the parts into cooperation by the action of the lugs 10.) This cooperation gives the block a slight further turn just as it parts from the barrel and locks the lugs 10 in the annular' groove 25. The block is now retained by the firing-pin and the barrel completes its forward movement alone, Fig. 3. The cartridge is now forced upwardly into the breech between the breech-block and the rear end of the barrel 11 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. By this time (all the foregoing operations having taken place instantaneously) the trigger will have been released and the sear 22 will bythe action of the trigger-spring 33 be lowered out of the path of the detentlng 24, so that the firing-pin, and with it the breech-block, will move forward under the influence of spring 7 until the front end of the block meets the rear end of the barrel. Immediately this takes place the cam-surfaces 32 of the lugs 17 engage the cam or twisted parts 31 of the groove 30 and turn thebreechblock'on the firing-pin far enough to bring the spiral grooves 26 into position in front of the lugs 10. The forward movement of the block being arrested by the barrel, the firingpin Will now move forward in the said block, turning the same and locking the lugs 17 in the annular groove 30, the tiring-pin itself being arrested by the detent of the lever 21 just as the lug 10 has gained the rear end of the horizontal groove 27, so that the pin will IOO IIO

The second part of the invention relates to` means for securing the weapon against accidental discharge. In the present case a pistol is illustrated in which the magazine is inserted into the handle from below and detained in position by a detent-pawl 3G, which engages a notch in the magazine-wall, The spring 37 of the detent-pawl also fits into a recess in the rear of the trigger below its pivot, and as soon as the trigger has been released-ft'. c., the finger has been withdrawn from within the trigger-guard-the lower end of the trigger will be forced up toward the guard, so that the finger can only be inserted on pulling the trigger back against the action of the spring 37. At the same time the ends 19 E30 of the said trigger are lowered, and in order to prevent the lever 2l from being jerked, which ni-ight accidentally canse the weapon to go oit, a hook 40 on the trigger engages over the end of the same, as shown at Fig. l, and eftectually prevents its upward movement, Simultaneously a projection 38 at the front upper end of the trigger is raised by the action of the spring 37 and enters a notch 39 of the barrel, thus preventing the inward movement of the same even if the muzzle of the barrel were accidentally struck against any object. This mechanism is described for the purposes of the present application in connection with a weapon having a removable magazine, and consequently a magazine detent-pawl; but in the case of a weapon having a permanent magazine which is filled from the top and provided with a cartridge-lifting device the detent-pawl would of course be dispensed with and the spring 37 would simply rest against a suitable part of the handle or butt, as will be readily understood.

The orifices 43 and 42 of the handle and butt are simply for the sake of lightness and would be covered by the wood easing of the butt.

The third part of the present invention relates to the ejector mechanism, which consist-s of the following parts: The ejector spring-arm 44, having hook 45, is let into one of the lateral guide-ribs 14 at one end, its free end extending into a groove 47 of the breechblock. To the opposite side of the breechblock is attached the extractor-hook 46. The parts operate inthe following manner: Then the barrel and breech-block recoil, they are locked together, as described, and on their forward stroke the barrel is unlocked and leaves the block, taking the ejector 44 along with it. As soon as the hook ot the ejector has advanced far enough it catches the rim of the cartridge-case and, cooperating with the extractor-hook 46, tips the cartridge-case out ot` the breech through the lateral opening 4S, Fig. 3. The ejector also serves to guide the breech-block in a straight line between its rotary movements-t'. c., when it is in the position shown at Fig. 3. This is effected in that the groove 47 is so formed that at this moment the hook is in a straight part of the groove, and thus prevents the lugs 10, as aforedescribed, from entering the spiral grooves 2U before the lugs 17 have engaged and entered the annular groove 30. At this moment the shape ot the groove 47 is inclined, Figs. l and 5, and thus the hook allows the block to rotate as far as necessary.

When the magazine has been exhausted, the lifter or feed plate for the cartridges may enter the breech between the block and barrel to enable the refilling of the magazine in the well-known manner. This part of the mechanism forming no part of the present invention requires no further description. lf, however, an interchangeable magazine is employed, the feed-plate will be taken out with the maga/zine, and it'wonld be necessary when the'magazine is replaced to provide means for drawing back the breechblock, in' order to allow the cartridge to enter the barrel. In order to effect this result, a pivoted double-arm lever 49 is provided at the side of the housing l, said lever having two arms 50 and 5l extending through the wall of the housing into the interior of the magazine-chamber 41 and the breech, respectively. A spring 52 is provided at the opposite end of the lever 49, said spring serving to normally keep the two arms 50 and 5l extending into their respective chambers. lVhile there are any cartridges in the magazine the arms will be held back out of the chambers by means of the said cartridges or magazine pressing against the arm 50. As soon, however, as the last cartridge has been vfired spring 52 forces the arms 50 and 5l into their chambers and arm 5l will spring forward and prevent the breech-block from coining forward, as shown at Fig. G. If the magazine is taken out and it is desired to close the breech-block nevertheless, this may be be done by simply pressing the short arm of the lever 49 toward the housing, and thereby withdrawing the arms 50 and 5l from the interior of the housing.4

If it is desired to open the breech to take ont a cartridge or remove a cartridge which has hung lire, a slide 53, as shown in Fig. 7, having the button 54, is employed. This slide is guided'in the side of the housing and capable of movement toward the rear of the same when the button 54 is pressed in that direction. The end of the slide, as will be seen from the figure, extends into the .housing and engages a lug l5 of the firing-pin. When the slide is pushed back, its end 55 engages the tiring-pin, forcing the saine intoits rearward position, and as the spring of the barrel acts to force the same forward again the breechblock will be unlocked and separate from the barrel, so that the cartridge may be removed. In Fig. 8 a modiiied form of the slide is shown, in this case a bow 5G being provided, which IOO IIO

of this second slide.

reason should fail to come forward properly a second slide may be arranged at the opposite side of the housing having the button arranged in proximity to the lug l5 and extending with a hook into the housing, so as to lie at the extreme rear end of the same.

yThis slide may be adapted to be moved in the opposite direct-ion to the slide 53, and thus if the breech-block sticks at the rear end of the housing it may be drawn forward by means The arrangement of the same will be self-evident and needs no illustration, or the slide 53 may be formed round and have an axial movement which may be caused to engage a lateral lug in a notch of the lug l5 and so, if desired, couple the said slide to the firing-pin lug, as will beevident, in which case the slide may also be employed to return the hiring-pin and breechblock to the forward position. It is not absolutely necessary that the hooks of the bow 56 engage the lugs l5 of the firing-pin, since they could also be made to engage the guideribs lllE or any other suitable part.

If the weapon is provided with a xed magazine, a` cartridge-retaining lever will have to be employed, which allows the cartridges to be inserted from above, but prevents their springing out at the top. A device of this kind is shown at Fig. 9. This lever 5S is pivoted on trunnions 59 and extends into the breech, being normally held with its front end in the breech by means of a spring, (not shown,) which is inserted in the spring-box 60 at the opposite end of the lever. As the barrel returns after the recoil it pushes the lever 58 aside and passes it, and as soon as it has passed the lever returns under the influence of its spring and strikes the empty cartridge-case, throwing it out of the breechblock laterally through the opening 4S, so that this lever may also be employed as a substitute for the ejector 4l, if desired.

When it is desired to remove the cartridges from the magazine 'from above, 'it is only necessary to press back the lever 5S by means of its button GO and the lifting or feed plate of the magazine will raise the cartridges up, forcing them out of the magazine into the hand of the operator.

Fig. 10 shows the adaptation of the improvements previously described to a rifle, the breech-block-locking mechanism being exactly the same, as also that of the trigger movement, and since similar numerals of reference are employed and the parts are' merely modilied in shape no further description of the same will be necessary, their operation being self-evident from the foregoing specication. The safety device, in connection with the trigger, is omitted in the case of the rifle. It may be mentioned that if the variable-pressure points 19 and 2O are dispensed with the trigger 1S might be made in one piece with the lever 23, in which ease the lower arm of the lever 2l might also be omitted. The rear wall 5 of the housing consists of a separate' plate, since the handle oi' the pistol is replaced by the butt of the gun. The recoilspring l2 is omitted in Fig. l0, because the same is advantageously arranged at the front or muzzle end of the gun and may either be arranged around the barrel or may be mounted in a special housing underneath the same, according to requirement. The riiie is provided with a ixed magazine and a novel cartridge-feed device, the said magazine being' filled from the top with the aid of a cartridgeframe.

l1`inally,theprcsent invention also embraces the peculiar construction and arrangement of the magazine cover or closure and the feed mechanism for the cartridges. The cover 63 is pivotally supported at the under side of the stock and retained closed by a telescopicallyacting pin Git G5, Fig. ll, the two parts of which are spring-pressed apart by means of a spring arranged in the space G9. Each of the parts (il G5 carries a forwardly-extending lug 66, adapted to engage in lateral recesses 67, formed in the rear end of the cover, said engagement taking place when the spring within the telescopical pin is free to press the two parts of the same apart. When the parts are pressed together by the lingers of the person manipulating the rifle, the said lugs are so formed that they pass out of the lateral recesses of the cover and allow the same to fall down around its hinge-pin into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 10. The feed mechanism for the cartridges consists of the pressure-arm 70, pivotcd to the inner surface of the magazine-cover, near the front end of the same, and a frame 7l, also pivotcd to the same pivot as the lever and having an orifice through which the free end of the said lever extends. To the free end of the frame-plate '7l is hinged the cartridge-carrier plate 72, on which the cartridges rest. If double rows of cartridges are employed, so as to render the magazine less deep, the carrier-plate is formed with a corresponding depression, as indicated at 73 in Fig. lO. The short end of the lever 70 eXtending beyond its pivot is acted upon by means of the downwardly-spring-pressed bolt G8, which tends to raise the free end of the same, which acts on the under side of the feed-plate 72, causingit to raise the cart-ridges. This arrangement of the parts has a double advantage. In the lirst place it enables the plate 7 2 to accommodate itself to the position and conicity of the cartridge, which result has hitherto been attained by the aid of IOO IIC

a second spring, and in the second place the whole construction has the advantage that when the cover of the magazine is opened the whole feed mechanism falls down or collapses against the cover, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. IO, owing to the fact that the short end of the lever is removed from the sphere ofinliuence of the downwardly-spri ng-pressed boltGS. Thearrangementfurtherenablesthe magazine to be charged with separate cartridges from beneath, which is a double advantage, because this may be done while one cartridge is already in the firing position Within the breech. After the last cartridge has been fired the free end ofthe frame 7l will be forced up into the path of movement of the breech-block and prevent the same from springing forward, retaining it back, and thus enabling the recharging of the magazine.

I claim as my inventionl. In an automatic firearm havingasliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinallymovable firing-pin not capable of axial rotation and a cylindrical axially revoluble breech-block capable of a telescopic movement on said firing-pin, means for coupling said breech-block and barrel so as to effecta partial turn of the block on the pin to uncouple the barrel and lock the blockin its extended position on the pin, after the recoil and during the return of the barrel, a spring to return the breech-block and firing-pin to their operative positions to discharge the next cartridge, means in connection with the barrel and breech-block coupling, to release the firing-pin from its extended position on the block after the latter has been locked to the barrel and means forarresting the firing-pin in the cocked position before the returningspring has been entirely released, substantially as described.

In an automatic firearm, havingasliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recoupling the said block and pin and block and barrel on the return of the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified, a pivotally-mounted spring-pressed detent-lever and means for operating the same by the trigger to retain the firing-pin in its extreme rearward position at the end of the recoil substantially as described.

3. In an automatic firearm liavinga sliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recoupling the said block and pin and block and barrel on the return of the barrel after therecoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified, a spring-operated trigger IS, an auxiliary spring mounted at the rear of the same to f orce its finger toward the trigger-guard a nose on said trigger and a notch in the lower part of the barrel into which said nose engages to prevent the barrel from longitudinal movement when the trigger has been pushed toward the guard substantially as described.

` l. In an automatic firearm havinga sliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopicwardly-extending hook 4f) on said trigger toI engage over the end of the sear when the trigger has been pushed toward the guard bythe auxiliary spring substantially asdescribed.

5. In an automatic firearm having asliding barrel, the combination of' a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recoupling the said block and pin and block and barrel, on the return of the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified, an ejector-arm having hook 45 and mounted on the rearbarrel end, and a groove 47 in the breech-block in which said hook engages at times for the purpose substantially as described.

6. In an automatic firearm having a sliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinally' guided non -revoluble firing-pin an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling.

and recoupling the said breech-block andpin and block and barrel on the return of the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified, a pivotallymounted spring-pressed detent-lever 49 having two arms 50 and 5l extending laterally into the cartridge-chamber and interior` of the housing to retain the breech-block in its rearward position after the last cartridge has been fired substantially as described.

7. In an automatic firearm, having a sliding barrel the combination of a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axially.- revoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recoupling the said block and pin and block and barrel on the return of. the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified a slide 53 within the housing l, having exterior handle and means for guiding the same longitudinally and causing it to engage the firing-pin and operate the same when moved by hand substantially as described.

8. In an automatic firearm, having asliding IOO IIO

barrel the combination of a longitudinallyguided non-revoluble firing-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recouplingg,` the said block and pin and block and barrel on the return of the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the firing position as specified acartridge-retaining lever 58 mounted to swing in the breech and havingr a spring to normally hold the inner end in the path of the breech-block and above the top cartridge said lever being adapted to swing back after depression by the passing barrel and throw the previous Cartridgecase out substantially as described.

' 9. In an automatic firearm having a sliding barrel, the combination of a longitudinallyguided vnon-revoluble tiring-pin, an axiallyrevoluble cylindrical breech-block telescopically movable thereon, means for uncoupling and recoupling,` the said block and pin and block and barrel on the return of the barrel after the recoil and retaining the pin in the ring position as specified, a magazine-cover hingcd to the under part of the butt, a cartridgre-lifting,` lever hinged to the interior of said cover and having extending arm, a down- Wardly-spring-pressed bolt to depress said arm and raise the free end of said lever, a frame pivotally mounted on said lever-pivot and a cartridge-lifting plate hinged to the free end of said frame and extending over 

